1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of vehicular traffic safety, and more particularly to a removable and portable speed bump which can be easily carried and/or stored on-site where the speed bump is intended to be deployed.
2. State of the Art
Speed bumps have been used for some time to slow down traffic in certain areas where the traffic speeds must be reduced, such as construction areas, school zones, parking lots, pedestrian zones and similar areas. Some speed bumps are permanent in nature and are made from asphalt or concrete. Permanent bumps or ramps are also used to guide traffic or indicate some change in traffic flow. These permanent speed bumps are useful but they have the disadvantage that they can not be moved or taken away when they are not needed. Other speed bumps exist which can be moved but are not easily stored at the desired site of the speed bump such as U.S. Pat. No. 3,880,537 to Jensen and U.S. Pat. No. 5,775,834 to Jackson. Such speed bumps typically are not as durable as one might desire and are unnecessarily complex to install.
Road hazard warning devices are also a common type of traffic control. These road hazard devices usually consist of visual markers like flags, signs, cones, or reflective barrels to warn oncoming vehicle traffic of road work or other road dangers. In some hazard situations, a flagman holds a flag to signal traffic hazards or the need for speed reduction. This is a dangerous job because the flagman is standing in traffic and it is usually temporary in nature. The flagman moves to sites where the flag is needed, and the positions where a flagman is needed change on a daily basis. Traffic passing a flagman will normally reduce its speed, but it would be helpful for the flagman to use a temporary speed bump or similar device which requires the traffic to slow down. A temporary speed bump would force traffic to reduce speed and in turn create a safer area for the flagman. In some situations, a temporary speed bump could even replace a flagman where the speed of the traffic is only being controlled and there is no need to control the traffic flow. A temporary speed bump is needed which can be deployed for a short periods, for example, for just a day or a few hours at a time in a school zone. It would also be an advantage if the speed bump could be set up and removed in minutes.
Highway warning devices exist, such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,775,834 to Jackson and U.S. Pat. No. 5,769,653 to Flynn, which create an audible warnings as cars drive across. These prior art devices warn drivers of impeding hazards with rib or wave like structures but they do not require vehicles to slow down to cross their warning structures. The ribs or waves are large enough to create an audible warning and slight vertical motion when vehicles cross them but these structures do not vehicles to reduce their speed.
Existing temporary traffic hazard systems may be portable and deployed when needed but these systems have disadvantages. Typical temporary road hazard markers are not fastened in place but remain in place by their own weight as taught by U.S. Pat. No. 3,880,537 to Harris and U.S. Pat. No. 5,639,179 to Jensen. Many traffic hazard markers such as those disclosed by Jensen also rely on the weight of the units to hold them in place by attaching the modules together. Such traffic speed bumps or markers are not particularly attached to the road surface which may allow them to move or be knocked down when crossed by a vehicle or affected by wind and weather conditions.
The current invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art by providing a stable traffic speed bump system which can be used temporarily and then stored after it has been used.